Warmer week ahead, but first a chance of rain in Abilene

Today: Mostly sunny, a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., high near 93 degrees; overnight low around 72 degrees.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, high near 92; overnight low around 73.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 96; overnight low around 74.

Thursday: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 98; overnight low around 75.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 97; overnight low around 73.

If you’re hoping for the mosquitoes to die off, you may be in luck by the weekend.

Mark Cunningham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Angelo, said things will begin to warm up by midweek and dry out — if showers arrive early this week.

“We go back into a dry pattern starting on Wednesday,” he said. “Basically we’ll get a little more influence from an upper level ridge just to our north, it will build back in to our area and suppress any kind of thunderstorm development.”

But before that happens, what’s here already will have to play itself out.

“We do have chances for the Abilene and Big Country area Monday into Tuesday for a slight chance of showers and thunderstorm, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours on those days,” Cunningham said.

That moisture that may arrive will be come through the area on a southeast flow from the Gulf of Mexico until the ridge settles into position to the north and puts a cork in it.

“Our temperatures will begin warming up starting on Wednesday right into next weekend, with highs across the Big Country in the mid-90s to 100,” Cunningham said. “The winds will probably not be too bad, maybe in the next couple of days we’ll see it a little gusty in the afternoon. I think the fire danger will stay pretty low right now.”